Skip to main content

December 2016

Direct Action discussed on RTE

By: 
Philip Boucher-Hayes - Drivetime RTE

What are the circumstances in which Direct Action campaigns succeed. Philip Boucher-Hayes has been taking a look at the history of civil disobedience campaigns.

Drivetime 22/12/2016 - http://www.rte.ie/radio1/drivetime/podcasts/

An interesting look at some of the recent campaigns that used Direct Action including Shell to Sea

http://rte.ie/r.html?rii=b9_21108472_83_22-12-2016_

Posted Date: 
23 December 2016

Gluaiseacht nominate Trump for next Irish Green Award

By: 
Gluaiseacht

Following last years awarding of the overall Green Award to Shell's Corrib Gas Tunnelling Project, this year environmental NGO Gluaiseacht are nominating Donald Trump for the Irish Green Award. The deadline for nominations is the 21st December 2016.

Last year BAM Civil/Wayss & Freytag won the “Green Business of the Year” and “Green Construction award” for their work on the 4.9km gas tunnel under Sruwaddacon estuary in order to complete Corrib Gas pipeline for Shell.[1]

“Giving the Irish Green Award to Donald Trump is the next logical step following the granting of last years award to a project which drilled a 4.9km tunnel through a Special Area of Conservation in order to open a new frontier of fossil fuel extraction.” says Gluaiseacht member Con Coughlan on the nomination of Trump.

“Donald Trump talks about 'Draining the Swamp' but last years winners were 'Draining the Bog' so that they could remove the 125,000 tonnes of peat needed to carry out their 'Green' project”.

Posted Date: 
20 December 2016

UK police spied on us, protesters tell inquiry

By: 
Ellen Coyne - The Times

A Mayo protest group that claims it was spied on by a British police officer has asked to be included in a UK inquiry into undercover practices.


Shell to Sea, an environmental protest group, claims it was infiltrated by a British officer between 2004 and 2006

 

Posted Date: 
17 December 2016

Fitzgerald should seek answers on undercover British police in Ireland

By: 
Shell to Sea

Open Letter to the Minister of Justice, Francis Fitzgerald

Shell to Sea are calling for the Minister of Justice, Francis Fitzgerald to seek that the inquiry into the behaviour of undercover British police (entitled the Pitchford Inquiry) be extended to include the activities of undercover police in Ireland.


Mark Kennedy (middle) undercover at Bellanaboy

The Pitchford Inquiry is so far only investigating undercover policing activities in England and Wales, however the German Government, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland's Justice Minister, Claire Sugden have all called for the remit of the inquiry to be widen to include the activities of the undercover British police in their jurisdictions.

It is known that undercover British police officer, Mark Kennedy operated in Ireland intermittently for a number of years including monitoring Shell to Sea in March 2006. It is suspected that after leaving the British police Mark Kennedy provided information on protesters to energy companies.

Shell to Sea is calling on Minister Fitzgerald to add her name to this list of other Governments and call for the Pitchford Inquiry to extend the inquiry into activities of undercover British officers in Ireland.

Posted Date: 
16 December 2016

There was a massive reaction to the documentary, Atlantic, that aired on RTÉ One last night

By: 
Conor Heneghan - Joe.ie

Praise was in plentiful supply, but the content of the documentary made a lot of people angry.

The multi-award winning documentary, Atlantic, aired on RTÉ One on Thursday night, a documentary made by the same team behind the acclaimed 2010 documentary The Pipe (which covered the controversial Shell pipeline off the west coast of Ireland) and narrated by Brendan Gleeson.

Posted Date: 
9 December 2016

Filmmaker Risteard Ó Domhnaill: 'It's time for us to take ownership of decision-making regarding our natural resources'

By: 
Risteard Ó Domhnaill - TheJournal.ie

How many of us really know what is going on in our coastal communities, asks director of The Pipe, Risteard Ó Domhnaill.

WE VISIT THEM on our summer holidays. We like to see boats coming and going from piers and to eat seafood in local restaurants. We imagine what a great life the locals must have. But the reality for coastal communities is as far from the imagined maritime idyll as Newfoundland is from Kilmore Quay.

Posted Date: 
9 December 2016

Documentary looks at impact of super trawlers in Irish fishing waters

By: 
Irish Examiner

Right now the second largest super trawler in the world is fishing off the Irish coast. It drags a net bigger than a football field and can process over 250 tonnes of fish a day.

Posted Date: 
7 December 2016

Macquarie eyes Irish gas giant

By: 
Danny Fortson - The Sunday Times

The Australian investment giant nicknamed the “vampire kangaroo” is hoping to sink its teeth into Ireland’s £3bn Corrib gas field.

Macquarie, one of the largest owners of British infrastructure, is understood to have approached Shell over a deal that could value the FTSE 100 giant’s 45% stake in the project at more than £1bn. It is unclear whether the Australians have tabled a formal bid.

Corrib started producing a year ago after years of delays and protests from fishermen, environmentalists and locals.

Posted Date: 
4 December 2016

Documentary on Irish fishing industry to be screened on RTE this week

By: 
Siobhan Cronin - The Southern Star

ATLANTIC, the stunning Irish-made documentary about the increasingly scarce  resources of the North Atlantic, is to be screened on RTE this week.

Richie O’Donnell’s award-winning film, which is visually stunning, talks to communities in three countries affected by changes to fishing rights – in Ireland, Norway and Newfoundland.

Castletownbere – now Ireland’s busiest fishing port – plays an important part in the movie, which has received a very warm welcome since its release last year.

Posted Date: 
4 December 2016